Birthday Surprises
by pottermum
Summary: Harry wants to make his wife's 38th birthday special, but in the end, she makes it special - for him. Written for Ginny Weasley Potter's 38th birthday Aug 11


Something was off with Ginny, Harry was sure of it.

Oh, she'd been the life of the party as usual with the dual celebrations for his birthday, one for his immediate family – which included Hagrid with a cake, and of course Teddy – and the secondary one at the Burrow a couple of days later, with the whole Weasley clan, even Charlie, and including Neville and Hannah, and Kingsley.

But in the days after she seemed to be quieter, paler even, but she brushed off his concerns, simply saying it had been a busy summer. He'd grabbed her from behind one day, almost rubbing against her, as he whispered all the things he planned for the two of them once the kids had left for Hogwarts.

She'd spun around and kissed him fiercely, then said, "Harry, I-"

But the kids had walked in then, groaning at the scene they'd walked in on...again! Harry shot them a sheepish grin as he and Ginny had seperated.

He never did find out what Ginny was going to say to him but after taking the kids to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies, it had hit him.

Lily was going to Hogwarts... for the first time.

A wave of emotion hit him, that all his kids would be far away in Scotland, that his sweet little Lily wouldn't be waiting to play Exploding Snap with him after dinner, or sweet talk him into taking Ginny and her to the movies, or to Diagon Alley for ice cream, not that it was a hardship. The last year with just his two girls had been a pretty great year and he knew he would miss Lily a lot.

So he could only imagine how much Ginny was going through, worrying about her only daughter leaving home for the first time, no doubt bring back memories of her _own_ first year at Hogwarts, which still caused the rare nightmare from time to time, and going through empty nest syndrome, as Hermione called it, saying Ron was feeling the same.

So Harry had made sure there was plenty of family time in the build up to Ginny's birthday, intent on making it an unforgettable day for her. And when it was just the two of them, he'd remibnd her all the things he planned for her, for them, now that they would have the house to themselves again.

Long lunches at home, long weekends at a bed and breakfast as they explored markets, went for hikes, or maybe they could evebn travel internationally, enjoying the time together, just the two of them.

And the more he talked, the quieter Ginny became.

While Ginny napped on a Friday afternoon, he took the kids to Diagon Alley to plan something extra special for her birthday day. He vetoed James idea of a surprise party, telling the kids of her twenty first birthday when _he_ had thrown her a surprise party. Ron had been the one to bring her to the Leaky Cauldron, and they'd argued about the Cannons and the Harpies all the way. Ginny had then grown suspicious at the quietness of the pub and drawn her wand. When Lee Jordan had thrown open the door and yelled out "Sur-" he had been Stupefy-d to the other side of the room.

Ginny made them all promise to never do that to her again.

In the end, Harry decided it would be best to simply make her a special birthday breakfast, and spoil her with love and attention all day. He made a mental note to bring Teddy up to speed, knowing he and Ginny had a special bond, and that Teddy would want to be a part of it.

He was home later than he wanted to be on the night before her birthday, having wrapped up a case at work and getting on top of his paperwork for once – _in your face, Hermione!_ – and was pleased to find his kids and Teddy laughing in the kitchen as they made pizzas. Harry leaned against the door jamb as he listened.

They were actually playing True or False with Lily, stating something about Hogwarts and she would have to guess if it was true or not. It was Teddy's turn.

" Lil, true or false. When I was head boy I had to give James detention because I caught him flying around the Quidditch pitch at midnight after Gryffindor won the house cup."

Lily opened her mouth to speak, but Teddy wasn't finished,

" – and he was naked."

Albus snorted and Lily giggled. "That sounds just like James, so I'm going to say...TRUE!"

James was forced to admit it was true. "It was a dare!" he said defensively.

"and he was drunk," finished Teddy, ruffling James' hair.

"I think I've heard all I need to hear." Harry finally made his presence known. "Sorry I'm late. Where's your mum?"

"She went to bed," said Albus, worriedly. "Dad, is mum all right? We went to Uncle Ron's for lunch, and when he took the last sandwich, I thought she was going to hex him."

"It's true, something's not right. When I asked her if I could stay for dinner, she got all teary," nodded Teddy.

"She's been looking at all our baby photos too," said James. "Will you go check on her, Dad? Tell her dinner is nearly ready." He passed a pizza to Albus who was loading up the oven.

"Mum's okay, isn't she, Dad?" asked Lily.

Harry hugged her. "I think she's just feeling a bit down that soon all of you will be out of the house, feeling a bit nostalgic, with the baby photos and all, but she'll be fine. Keep an eye on the boys, Lil, I'm leaving you in charge while I go check on your mum." 

"What? No fair. Lily in charge?"

Harry grinned as the boys complained, albeit goodnaturedly, as Lily ordered James to set the table, Teddy to keep an eye on the pizzas and Albus to get drinks for everyone.

"Gin?" He eased their bedroom door open and walked in to find Ginny in a deep sleep in their bed. He sat on the side, brushing her hair aside as he simply gazed at her. She would be turning thirty eight the next day, but she was as beautiful to him now as she was when she sixteen, twenty, thirty.

She didn't stir once, so he changed out of his work clothes to his casual sweats. He returned to the bed, again sitting on the side as he stroked her face.

"Gin? Gin, you okay?"

She stirred. "Hmm...Harry, you're home already?"

"Hey, love. You okay?" he asked.

She nodded, already drifting back to sleep. "So sleepy."

"What about dinner? The kids are making pizzas," he told her, stroking her arm.

She shook her head. "Not hungry...so sleepy."

She closed her eyes and, just like that, she was back asleep. Sighing, Harry covered her over with the blanket and returned to the kitchen to spend the night with the kids.

Ginny didn't even wake when he slid into bed next to her close to midnight, after he made plans for the kids to bring Ginny breakfast in bed, along with their presents for her.

But when he woke, he found she was already up, for he could hear the shower running. A glance at the clock told him it was only seven o'clock, and before he could consider joining her, the shower turned off.

He waited, eager to wish her a happy birthday in a way they both liked, so he quickly whisked off his boxers so he was ready. He leaned on his side and waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

Ten minutes went past before he rose out of bed and went to the door of their ensuite.

"Gin?"

There was no answer.

He knocked lightly. "Gin, I'm coming in."

He opened the door cautiously, only to see Ginny hunched over the closed toilet seat, in just knickers and a WWW tank top. He felt a bolt of alarm and hurried to kneel in front of her.

"Gin? Gin, what's wrong?"

Ginny lifted her head to meet his eyes. Hers were teary but there was something else. She didn't look sad, or sick, she looked...hopeful, as her eyes searched his.

He shook his head, uncertain what she was looking for. "Gin, what is it?" he asked.

She raised her hand; something was gripped in it. She pressed it to him and he took it, looking down.

His jaw dropped open, his eyes flying back to hers, seeking confirmation.

She nodded. "I'm pregnant."

He actually fell back on his bare arse, totally stunned. Ginny hiccuped and chuckled, then laughed so hard she cried as she moved towards him, crawling into his lap.

"A – a baby?" he stammered. He gulped. "You're not taking the piss, are you?"

She shook her head, beaming. "Best birthday present you could give me."

"Mum, Dad, where are you? Are you-ugh, seriously?" James scowled as he looked down at his parents on the floor, shaking his head, before calling out, " I found them. Lil, don't come in, you're too young to see this." He looked back at them, shaking his finger at them. "Can't you just wait two weeks till we leave for Hogwarts...sheesh! Anyway, happy birthday, Mum."

He left the door ajar, calling out as he left, "We made you breakfast, you _might_ want to get dressed and come down...if you're finished." He made a face of distaste as he left.

Harry and Ginny chuckled at their son's chastisement. "So, er, how long, I mean, how far along are you?" he asked, rubbing her back.

"Eight weeks, I think," she replied, settling herself better on his lap. "Remember that afternoon you came home for lunch, totally surprising me? Early June, before the boys came home. Lily had the sleepover at Lucy's and I was trying to finish that article."

"Oh yeah." They'd gotten so caught up in the moment, neither had thought to do the contraceptive charm. He grinned at the memory, then looked back at his wife. "Are you okay? How long have you suspected?" he asked.

"Just this week," she assured him. "I bought the test yesterday but fell asleep before I could tell you."

He pressed his hand to her abdomen. "So, we're doing this...again?" He felt excited at the thought of having another child with Ginny, even if he was close to forty.

The sounds of their kids arguing stopped her from immediately replying to him.

"Ow, James, stop it. Teddy, don't let him do that. Al, make him stop."

"James, stop it."

"Aw, come on, it's a bit of fun."

"I'm telling mum and dad."

Ginny kicked the door shut, and she and Harry smiled at each other now there was silence.

"Yeah, we're doing this again," Ginny said softly, leaning against him. "I want to do this again...if you do." She looked up at him.

He nodded and kissed her cheek. "When are we going to tell the kids?"

"Maybe before they leave for Hogwarts?" she suggested. She stood and held out her hand to help Harry stand.

They opened the door to hear the kids still arguing, so Harry shut the door again.

"Or perhaps when they come home for Christmas," sighed Ginny.

Harry took her in his arms and kissed her passionately, his hands caressing her belly.

"Happy Birthday, Ginny. I love you."

He was sure there would be time in the days and weeks ahead when it would really sink in that he and Ginny were having another baby, when their current 'baby' was about to start at Hogwarts...but for now, he felt a thrill at this new life that his and Ginny's love had created, just as much as had felt immediate love when he had been handed little Teddy, and when he found out she was expecting James, Albus and Lily.

They both had so much to look forward to, and Harry knew that with Ginny by his side, they would face any challenges that lay ahead.

"Happy Birthday, Ginny," he repeated softly, kissing her again.


End file.
